"If it fits in a safety-deposit box, we get it," said Walter Graham, bureau chief of the state's Unclaimed Property Division.

The treasures — and memories — made their way to the state capital for a variety of reasons: their owners never made out a will; addressees moved without leaving a change of address; safety-deposit boxes were forgotten or never mentioned to heirs.

And now they're about to be sold off to the highest bidder.

This summer, the state will hold two auctions — in Tampa in June and Fort Lauderdale in August — to sell off part of the $1 billion in unclaimed property that it has collected from across the state. Many items have sat on the shelves for years; they're being sold off because space is needed for the new stuff that comes in every day. Auctions during the past three years have brought in $1 million to $1.2 million.

Graham said most of what the state holds is paper: dormant financial accounts, mutual funds, insurance claims or utility deposits. But there's no shortage of stuff: 144,000 items, of which 76,000 will be put up for bid in June.

Among the items listed: two partial sets of sterling-silver flatware with an asking price of $250, a 10-ounce South African gold Krugerrand with a minimum value of $1,550 and a paper one-sixth dollar from 1776 with a $45 price tag. The preset value is more than $550,000, but the state expects the sales prices to exceed $1 million.

Pompano Beach Mayor Lamar Fisher's auction company will oversee the Tampa sale. The catalog and value for the August auction in Fort Lauderdale are still being set.

The unclaimed property flows in because of state law. Unclaimed insurance payouts, as well as the contents of safety-deposit boxes if the bank has had no contact with the actual owner or heirs for three years, must be turned over to the state. Much of it comes from elderly people who die without leaving wills or without listing heirs or next-of-kin.

"If there's an elderly person living in South Florida, their children or grandchildren may not know about it," said Anna Alexopoulos, a spokeswoman for Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, whose office oversees the Division of Unclaimed Property.

But not just dead people leave unclaimed property. The state estimates that one in four Floridians has something — a refund check returned because no forwarding address was left, or a check misdirected to the wrong address or an item left forgotten in a deposit box — in the unclaimed-property vault.

The staff of 20 tries to reach out and find as many people as possible but often comes up short. The state also lists items — and names of possible owners — on a website: fltreasurehunt.org. Claims can be made online.

Graham said the state makes an extra effort to find the owner if it's a piece of jewelry or other personal item, as opposed to unclaimed cash. Owners or heirs have been identified up to the day of the auction, he said.

"It's not just the monetary value, it's a sentimental value," he said.

And if the item is sold, the proceeds go into a trust fund, so if an heir finds out about the property later, he or she can collect the cash.

Graham said the highest payout the state has made was in 2011: $3.9 million worth of stocks, mutual funds and dividends to a High Springs woman.

khaughney@tribune.com or 850-224-6214

If you go

What: Tampa auction

Where: Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, 2900 Bayport Drive, Tampa

Dates: The preview is June 7, and the actual auction is June 8

Other: The state has secured a special hotel rate of $109 at the Hyatt. Reservations must be made by Wednesday.

The Fort Lauderdale auction is scheduled for Aug. 23-24. Check back later at fltreasurehunt.org for more info.